1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to cages for protecting and supporting plants. More particularly the present invention relates to an inexpensive multi-purpose structure that operates as a plant cage and a support for plant containers.
2. Background of the Invention
Many different devices are used to help plants through their different stages of development. To prevent plants from dying, they must be protected to minimize damage from harsh environmental conditions. As the plant continues to grow it is necessary to support the branches or vines of the plant as they extend above the ground to maximize plant exposure to sun or water. In the culturing and development of potted plants or plants resident in some type of container, many times a stand or support is used to position the potted plant off of the ground or floor. Stand users, such as gardeners and nursery operators, use the stand to facilitate moving plants and optimize the use of storage or floor space.
To prevent having to buy and install different support structures for plants in containers and plants in the ground, it would be advantageous to use the same structure for both a cage for hanging plant limbs, vines, branches, and the like, and a support for a plant container. Most structures, however, cannot perform both functions. In addition, the most effective structure for a plant container stand is not necessarily the most effective structure for supporting plant limbs.
Prior plant cages commonly use wire to support plant branches and vines. The prior structures comprise wire sections welded together that tend to be very unstable. The structures are lightweight which makes them easy to blow over in inclement weather or easy to knock over by a person passing by the structure. The legs of the structures typically are single extensions of wire that are to be fixed to the ground by pushing the structure downward, forcing the legs into the ground. Often the processes of fixing the wire structure to the ground and removing from the ground are difficult. The wire structures frequently deform, or, even worse, the welds holding the wire structure together break, during the application of downward force to fix the structure to the ground, and when the wire structure is pulled from the ground.
Additionally, prior plant cages have experienced problems due to their shape and structural orientation. For example, many plant cages have insufficient space at the top of the cage to permit additional plant growth. Some segments of wire plant cages slope downwardly, causing branches of a plant to slide down on top one another, which prevents maximum exposure of the plant foliage to sun and rain. Finally, the shape of some plant cages is disadvantageous to stacking of multiple of the plant cages on top of one another. There may be a segment or portion of the plant cage that prevents multiple plant cages to complementarily engage one another in a stacking fashion.
On the other hand, many prior plant container support structures are inverted cone-shaped wire structures. The wire structures are made of lightweight wire sections that are welded together. The bottom of the plant container support has a smaller diameter than the top of the container, which is more likely to cause the support to be blown over or accidentally tipped. Thus, the legs of the container support had to be made out of a heavier gauge wire to provide more support to the plant container. The use of heavier gauge wire increases production costs. The inverted cone-shape of the container support structure limits the variety of sizes and shapes of containers that are capable of being positioned into the support structure. The limitation of admissible containers requires the user to purchase an additional container supports of varying sizes.
Moreover, having two separate structures, i.e., the plant cage and the plant container support, increases the cost of equipment for a user, and, increases the chances of losing a structure when not in use.
As such, it may be appreciated that there continues to be a need for a plant cage dimensioned to allow maximum exposure of a plant to sun and rain while maintaining a high degree of stability to not be blown over or destroyed by wind and other conditions. There is a desire to provide a plant container support designed to effectively accommodate various sized containers and provides sturdy reliable support. Additionally, there is a need to provide a rigid plant cage that can withstand the rugged handling associated with repeated insertion and removal from the ground.
The decision made by a gardener whether to place a plant in the ground or place the plant in a container may change from time to time. Accordingly, a need exists for a low cost device that provides the dual function of plant cage and plant container support while providing the maximum support and best possible growing environment for a plant.